Story contributed by Dr. Belinda Forbes, UMC missionary and volunteer with AMOS Health and Hope
She was 74 years old when she held a crayon for the very first time.
Concepción Mendoza Jiménez has lived her entire life in Nejapa, a community on the outskirts of Managua. Today, she visits the Samaritan Clinic to receive care for chronic illnesses and participates in AMOS’ Wellness Club, where people living with diabetes, hypertension, and other conditions come together to learn, encourage one another, and build healthier lives.
Recently, during a Wellness Club session focused on relaxation and emotional wellbeing, participants were invited to play games and color with crayons.
For most people, coloring is a simple childhood memory.
For Concepción, it was a completely new experience.
“I did not have a childhood,” she told us. “At the age of five, I went with my parents to work in the fields planting and harvesting cotton.”
Because the nearest school was too far away, Concepción never received a formal education. She cannot write, but later in life she taught herself to read using the Bible.
When asked who taught her to read, she smiled and replied, “Christ did.”
As she carefully colored the page before her, she reflected on the experience:
“I feel happy, joyful. In my life I never had time for anything. Now I am taking the time that I did not have when I was little.”
At AMOS, healthcare is about more than treating disease.
Living with a chronic illness can be physically and emotionally challenging, which is why our Wellness Club creates spaces where people can learn, connect with others, and experience joy.
For Concepción, that joy came in the form of a simple box of crayons.
For others, it may be a new friendship, practical health knowledge, or the reassurance that they are not facing their journey alone.
Through the Samaritan Clinic and our Wellness Club, people living with chronic illnesses are finding not only medical care, but also the support, dignity, and hope they need to thrive.
If Concepción’s story touched your heart, we invite you to help more people find healing and community.